One World
by Malakia
Summary: The Yautja homeworld has been found and now humans are aching for a chance at their technology. Unfotunately for humanity, the Yautja aren't as willing to share. So humanity has come up with a plan- infiltrate the Yautja culture as one of their own. DISCONTINUED/ON HAITUS
1. Chapter 1

**Hey there! This is my first story that I'm posting in the Predator section so let me give you a few notes. This story IS a predator story but with aspects from Avatar (the James Cameron movie). I had this idea for awhile so I'm curious to see how it is recieved.**

**On that note: I'm only going to say this ONCE for the whole story! I don't own the Avatar aspects used in this fic and I don't own Predator. Just my characters.**

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_Transmission setting up…._

_Systems Green…._

_Diary Entry 001:…._

_Date: January 14, 2137…._

_Subject recorded…. Lorena Lazerman…._

_Begin…._

I find that the world is full of odd occurrences, some of them wonderful and some of them cruel. People tend to block out the cruel ones, but in my thirty-two years, those memories have been the ones that have stayed with me and I can't seem to ever be able to block them out.

Oh, don't get me wrong, I've had lot of good memories too but those memories haven't affected me the way the bad ones do- two, to be exact.

The first one occurred five years ago, I was a young medical officer in the Space Marines; I had just been posted straight out from college and boot camp on a planet called Archeon. I was still getting the hang of things in my unit when we were called off for an emergency. A nuclear mining planet near us had a serious accident with one of its power plants exploded and radiation had infected the populous.

It shouldn't have been a big thing- we were just supposed to go and give out vaccines, excavate the people, and everything would be fine. At least that's what they told us.

There was only one little detail the military boys left out, that the nuclear material they were mining was new, aggressive, and resistant to the vaccines.

I only found that out after we were back on Archeon a few months later and, believe me I felt lower than shit after that. I was giving these people hope, only to discover that it was for nothing! I felt terrible about it but mostly I felt angry. Angry at the Weyland-Yutani Corporation who had started the mining colony and angry at the military for giving people hope, for giving ME hope….

…You see, while on that little mining rock another accident had occurred, an accident that shouldn't have occurred if the 'Company' personnel had followed protocol. Not long after my unit had arrived and set up a medical station next to what we THOUGHT was an inactive nuclear holding chamber did the hidden radioactive material inside overheated and… for a lack of a better word blew up…. We, my unit and anyone else who was unfortunate to be near or inside the building with my team, were all injured pretty badly and those of us who weren't infected before received radiation poisoning… thus signing are own death warrants….

….Like I said before it has been over five years since then and I have resided myself that- in time I will die and now amount of medicine can cure that. Yet I believe God, or whatever powerful being is up there, has a sick sense of humor, for as you see I am still here while my team and everyone else that was in the explosion has passed on. I watched as some of my best friends died a slow, agonizing death as the cancer ate them from the inside out. Yet here I stand, still able to breathe normally, still able to walk, suffering from pain only here or there, thanks to my DNA.

Apparently, my genes only slow down the radiation deterioration process. For three years I was stuck with needles and probed in places I didn't even know I had but the doctors couldn't find the gene that slowed down the process or any other explanation on why I was still alive. The only solace I had during those miserable years was my twin sister, Natalia.

You could say me and her were at completely different ends of the spectrum. I was always the level headed, responsible, quiet on while my sister was the wild obnoxious, outgoing one. I would bail her out when she needed it and Natalia always dragged me out to social events so I would stop being a 'wallflower'. Funny how we were so different yet we did everything together. Heck, we even joined the marines together for the college benefits, though we both went in for different degrees; she went in for Anthropology and I went to get my doctorate. We were still close though, even after boot camp and we were assigned to different bases….

She was my rock though my whole ordeal. She would only visit here or there after the army discharged me but mostly we talked through video chats and those always could bring a smile to my face. But like I said before someone up in Heaven has a very sick sense of humor….

It was three years after my accident that another blow came to my spirit, the death of my sister….

It was a car wreck. Her and a couple of friends were partying one night and enviably they all got drunk and one of them ended up behind the wheel of the car they were driving…. I didn't need to hear the rest of it, I knew the stories and I saw how the car was wrapped around the street light….

….Needless to say, when I received it felt like apart of my soul had died that day. How could God take away a person who loved life so much? For all her wildness, she was a loving and caring person that had a contagious smile. How could He take away a person like that!

It was after my sister's funeral though that landed me where I am now. Being that I was the only living relative, I was at the crematory alone watching lifelessly as my sister's body was burned before me, when two men in suits approached. I hadn't noticed them at first; I was to busy asking God why hadn't He taken me instead when I was willing to die. I only noticed them when one of them tapped me on the shoulder.

My head snapped over to them, surprised, but with no tears in my eyes, though my eyes were surely red. I had done my crying in private hours before and if it was one thing that the military had taught me was that you were not allowed to cry in public.

My throat was too constricted to talk as one of the men introduced himself as Sergeant Phillips while the other introduced himself as Doctor Mason. They said they were colleagues of my sister and offered their condolences. At first I didn't understand, because I didn't see them when my sister's memorial service was when Sergeant Phillips spoke of an offer for me.

I remember my angered flared, and I wanted to lash out at them for coming here for business when I was hurting. All I remember thinking was _'Could it not wait until I had gotten home?'_

I must have had a look on my face because Doctor Mason quickly stepped in, explaining that this couldn't wait. He said that they couldn't explain the details in a public area; he did say though that he and Sergeant Phillips were part the Company which, reluctantly, perked my interest. _'My sister was part of military, so how was she involved with the Company?'_ I thought.

Feeling embolden, I cleared my throat and said I was interested but I would like to finish this later at my house. This, for some reason, enraged Sergeant Phillips who almost demanded that we discuss it there.

I was promptly and politely going to tell them that they then could shove their offer up their asses when Doctor Mason quickly stepped in again. I held my rage at the nervous doctor as he quickly explained that Natalia was contracted by the Company to help serve on a project. He wouldn't go into details past that which made me even more curious. But deep inside, for some reason, I was torn.

I looked over to where my sister was, or what was left of my sister. I tried to recall whether she had mentioned anything about working with the Company when she was with me, but that was a year ago and I honestly couldn't remember, or wouldn't remember for that matter I figure now, anything.

Back then I found myself having this surreal moment. How I not know this about my twin sister? We told each other everything so how could she hide something this big from me? Honestly, I felt a little bitter about it. What else hadn't she told me?

It took me a minute to wrestle with my emotions but in the end, as if I had no control over my brain, I agreed to join their project.

I still don't know why I agreed; something was pulling at me though to say it. I like to imagine that it was my sister's spirit making me go one last adventure or it could have been the fact that I felt like I owed it to her, to finish her last project. Either way it landed me here.

So that night, to my surprise, after I received my sister's ashes and placing them in our family plot wall, I rushed back to my house to gather a few items then whisked away to a shuttle that would take me where this project was taking place. Neither Sergeant Phillips nor Doctor Mason elaborated on what the project was and I beginning to think that _they_ didn't even know what it was about.

My theory was only confirmed when I boarded the shuttle that put me on an aircraft and they didn't follow.

It's been two years since then and I've been cyrosleep along with 100 other marines and scientists. It's been blissful to say the least; I didn't feel the pain of my disease like I am now…..

…Hehehe… What the hell am I doing, spewing my guts out like this? It's not like a computer can comfort me and I'm pretty sure that the Company is going to look at this. I must still be tired or something cause the only reason I turned on this stupid recording device was to say that though I'm awake, no one has offered to tell me about the project my sister was working on….

Ah well, hopefully someone will when we get to base in a couple of hours….

…_ending video recording…_

_System shutting off…._

_Good-bye…._

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PLEASE! For the love of all things good! READ AND REVIEW!


	2. Chapter 2

**I hope you are all happy cause this nearly killed me writing this chapter _**

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**Chapter 2**

Giving a mix between a heavy sigh and a exasperated laugh, Lorena dropped her head into her free hand and began rubbing it as a headache started to form. 'Of all the things I have to talk about THAT is what I have to discuss! What is wrong with me?' she thought.

Sighing heavily, she let her hand slip from her face and shoved the tiny recorder she had received only hours ago, with instructions to do as she had just done, into the rut sack at her feet. She then stood, groaning as he unused muscles stretched in the tight space of the janitors closet. She jumped a little as cold metal met her heated skin in the center of her chest and she reached up grabbing it through the fabric of her shirt. A familiar twinge of loneliness hit her as she felt the oval shape of two dog tags and knew that if she looked one would bear her name while the other would bear that of her sisters.

"All personnel leaving for destination 227," a voice over the ships intercom said, making Lorena almost jump out of her skin. "Please report to the loading dock. Repeat, all personnel leaving for destination 227 please report to the loading dock."

Lorena dropped her hand to her side, sighing. She then bent over and gathered up her rut sack to throw it over her shoulder. Once that was done, she pressed one side of her face to the door, carefully listening for anyone in the hallway outside.

Once satisfied that it was all clear, she opened the door and peeked her head out. Seeing no one, she then casually strolled out of the closet, letting the door close behind her, as she made her way to the docking area.

It wasn't a long walk and soon Lorena could hear the bustling noises of the hanger. Approaching the heavy, whitewash metal doors, the auto detection system opened them, allowing her to enter without breaking a stride.

The hanger was one of the largest that the military could supply; it was three stories tall with about ten to fifteen openings on each floor. Dark green military hovercrafts were stored in each, some of them operational, some of them needing work from the lack of use. Sparks could be seen from those crafts as hard working men and women fixed them with blow torches.

In the small areas where there wasn't work or not occupied by metal crates, Lorena could see military men and women talking and laughing like long lost friends, when in reality most of them were probably complete strangers. 'But that's the life in the military,' Lorena thought. 'Make friends and hope you'll see each other again….'

Lorena looked away from the groups over to where a ship was on the launching pad. There, contrasting greatly against the green of the hovercraft, more men and women in white shuffled about to get inside. For the same reason she wore white, these people weren't part of the military personnel who wore green; these were the scientists of the trip. Protocol dictated that civilians, unless in a battle situation, would go before the military sent their own men and women. As a soldier, Lorena had never understood why, and, now as a civilian again, she still didn't understand. But she never questioned it and she wasn't about the start now; she just lined up with the rest of the scientists to board.

She ignored the little conversation around her and everyone else seemed fine with that because none of them spoke to her. It wasn't like she could talk to them anyway, she wasn't apart of their world not was she apart of the military world anymore; it actually hurt worse than her physical pain to try and talk to any of them as memories she had tried to bury would resurface.

So instead of trying to make friends, Lorena just kept to herself, watching everyone else until she boarded and took her seat in one of the corner sections. She placed her head back against the harsh metal after buckling herself, feeling her dog tags against her skin almost comfortingly.

'For you, Natalia,' she thought as a nostalgic feeling went through her as the hovercraft started. 'This is for you….'

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It wasn't long until the ship touched the ground and the hatch doors opened, letting in the bright light of the outside world. Lorena had to put her hand up until her eyes adjusted, hitting the specialized mask that covered her entire face. The planets air, she had heard, was more nitrogen and methane gas than earth and a few of her planetary colonies; the masks were to help you breathe, though they weren't the most comfortable things out there.

Lorena paid no heed to it though as she started exiting the craft with the rest of the group. Outside, everything was a buzz.

The complex before Lorena was a very large complex with a metallic sheen from the sun. Various people in green strutted about in full military gear, bearing guns, while others were in exosuits of metal, helping lift various items that were too heavy for humans. Above them, various carrier hovercrafts flew about and Lorena couldn't help but think, as she looked at the contrasting heavily dense forest around the area, that it looked more like a military base than a place of science. Yet she gave no more thought to it as the group entered a large tube like room.

Once everyone was in the doors to the outside closed and the lights that were on shut off. UV lights immediately came on though as the air vents went to work, removing the native air and supplying their own breathable kind.

"Please remove you masks," an automated voice said over the speakers. "And please, calmly make your way into the building."

Following orders, Lorena grabbed the strap that held the mask to her face and pulled it over her face. She was able to take one good breath before being pushed forward to follow the rest of the crowd.

On the other side, everyone started splitting up, seemingly knowing where to go, down the many corridors. Lorena herself felt lost, and moved to the side to let the rest through. Soon, everyone dispersed; leaving Lorena alone and she started wondering it this was such a wise idea to come here now.

"Ms. Lazerman!" someone called, pulling her from her thoughts. She looked to see a young man with short hair running toward her. She stood a little straighter as he came to a stop in front of her, bending over once he did to catch his breath. Patiently she waited until he stood up, a little taller than her, and looked her in the eyes. Smiling, he held out a hand and said, "Hi there, I'm Jake Freeman. We'll be working together."

"Nice to meet you," she replied, offering a small smile, as she shook his hand.

"Well, welcome to KV I-54," Jake continued as he dropped his hand and turned to lead the way. "Follow me, I'll show where we're working." Lorena didn't say anything as she followed him down the hallway.

"How was the trip?" Jake asked.

"Boring but it was okay," Lorena said being polite. "But I was in cryosleep the whole time." Jake just laughed.

"Yeah it does get kinda boring but the sleep is nice. So you excited about the project?"

"I would be; if I knew what it was." Jake suddenly came to a stop, almost making Lorena run into him. He turned around to face her with wide-eyes.

"You mean they didn't tell you?" he asked in disbelief. Lorena could feel her face heat up in embarrassment and she cast her eyes away from him, saying,

"No, they didn't." Jake let out a low whistle.

"Man," he said. "Boss is SO not going to like this. Come on." He grabbed her right wrist and pulled her along the winding corridors. The leisurely pace they were once at seemed rushed and all Lorena could do was just struggle along.

Finally, they slowed down when they reached an area full of glass encased offices. Silently, Lorena glared at her "tour guide" before looking about. She was very curious at seeing many tools that as a young doctor she had used; others though she couldn't begin to imagine what they were used for.

"Impressive, isn't it?" Jake said as they went along. Lorena looked at the brown haired man and nodded in agreement. "Yeah, it's all because of the Company that we have this stuff."

After that they fell silent again, just walking past everything and everyone. At one point though, they walked past a rectangular window and Lorena couldn't help to peek inside out of curiosity. Abruptly she stopped and looked back through the window again, gaping and wide-eyed.

"What in the world are those!" she exclaimed. Jake stopped and looked back at her curiously before smirking.

"Our project," he said coming back to stand next to her. Both of them looked inside at the white, low built room. People garbed in white doctor uniforms flittered about the room tending to two occupants on the two different tables. One was male and the other female; each was rather muscular though the female was leaner, showing off a figure while wearing patient's garbs. Contrasting with the people around them, they were clearly taller and their feet and hands had sharp talons where toe nails should have been. Their skin was that a reptiles- coarse looking and yellowish with black spots- but what held Lorena's attention was their faces.

'They look like deformed crabs,' she thought, studying the outward appendages that framed an inner mouth with sharp teeth. Their foreheads were large, though the males larger and more pronounced. And instead of having silken hair like humans, theirs were thick black bands, reminiscent of dreadlocks. The male had tiny spikes running across his eye ridge while the females were just slightly more pronounced. "What are they?" Lorena whispered in awe, for even though they looked like they were asleep they still looked fierce.

"They're us."

"Huh?" Lorena asked, looking at the man beside her. Jake just smiled at her.

"Doctor Mandalio will explain it better than I can, so come on." Jake then left and Lorena cast one last look at the occupants in the room before following.

It wasn't long until they arrived at one of the offices full of desks and stepped inside. "Doctor Mandalio!" Jake called walking over to a woman at a desk who was reading a file. The woman looked up with hard light brown eyes as she brushed back her thick brown hair that was turning a little grey. Her eyes then traveled over to Lorena and, if possible, her eyes became harder as she scrutinized her.

The woman placed the folder on her desk and stood as Jake and Lorena stopped at her desk and she held out a hand to Lorena. "Doctor Jane Manadlio," she said stiffly.

"Lorena Lazerman," Lorena responded just as stiffly as she shook her hand. "Former doctor," she added.

"I know. I was just reading your records," Jane said casting a hand toward the file she had put on her desk. "I am also well of aware of your… condition. I hope that it doesn't affect anything with our project."

"No ma'am," Lorena said still confused on what the project was.

"Good. Are you ready to start then?" Jane asked though she sounded very reluctant to say it.

"Ummmm…," Jake said coming to stand beside Jane. He whispered something to her and Jane's eyes widen in surprise before filling with rage.

"They what!" she yelled. "God damn them!" She then stomped out from behind her desk coming toward Lorena before stopping. The woman was very formidable, glaring at Lorena as if this was all her fault. "They didn't tell you?" she hissed.

"No ma'am," Lorena said cautiously, trying to figure out if the woman before her would strike her. Instead Jane just cursed and began pacing. Lorena cast a look to Jake asking for some kind help but only received a sympathetic look for her efforts.

"Ok then," Jane finally said drawing Lorena's attention. "If they want to send me an incompetent doctor, fine! But I will not have this ruin my life's work!" She spoke more to herself, though Lorena stiffened at Jane calling her an "incompetent doctor". Jane seemed to ignore that as she looked over at Lorena.

"I know you're already here but let me ask you, how would you like to live again?" Lorena looked at her, rather confused at the question. "I'm not taking the question lightly," Jane continued. "But think about it; with you condition how would you like a NEW body, one that isn't dieing? I can give you that chance; the stuff here," she waved her hand around the room and to the outside. "Can give you that chance."

Lorena hesitated as she thought of the implications the Jane spoke of. 'A new body?' she thought. 'How can one do that? Does it have something to do with those two bodies?'

"How?" she asked hesitantly, afraid and eager for the answer. Jane didn't answer her at first as she approached her and grabbed her shoulders.

"You're going to have to trust me on this. What I'm about to tell you is research that's spanned over a hundred years, and I have to give you a very condensed version. But first, do you have your recorder?" Still confused, Lorena nodded her head. "Can I see it?" Jane asked impatiently. Lorena just shrugged off her sack and rummaged through her bag before locating the recording device and handing it to Jane.

With a brisk nod, Jane took it and walked away, leaving Lorena to catch up after her. They stopped at a nearby empty desk and attached the recorder to a miniature crane like device sitting on top of the desk. Instantly the monitor next to it flickered on, showing a mirror image of what the camcorder was seeing. "This," Jane said, pointing at the device. "Is going to be your new best friend. Everything that happens to you on a day to day basis must- and will- be recorded and will be stored in the main computers main frame." Lorena just looked between Jane and the camera.

"Everyday?" she asked.

"Everyday," Jane reaffirmed. "No matter what." Lorena just slowly nodded, still confused on what this had to do with the project. "Very good," Jane said. "Now leave your stuff here and follow me." She then turned and started strutting away. Hastily, Lorena did as she was told and hurried to catch up with Jane, feeling as if she was back in boot camp.

"Now then," Jane said, drawing Lorena's attention to her. "The things I'm about to tell you are top secret, understand? You can not tell anyone else who's not on the planet." Lorena could have snorted since she didn't really have people she wanted to talk to anyway, but she refrained and listened as Jane went on.

"For years, scientists have tired to figure out how the human mind works. Or better yet, can the human mind control something that is out side of its body just using his or her mind. That's what we've- my team and I- have been trying to figure out.

"To make a long story short, we've made a giant breakthrough a couple of years ago. We couldn't test it though, until now.

"We've created a machine that can transfer a human's conscious and put it into another beings body; only if they are genetically matched." Jane stopped at a pair of doors and looked at Lorena, coolly. "This is where your sister came in. About ten years ago, the Company found this planet and its unusual occupants. They were highly advanced and the Company wanted to learn more about them. Unfortunately, the natives weren't very receptive and after years of trying, the Company contacted me and told me of the situation.

"I, in turn contacted your sister because I knew her from previous work I had done with the military. She was very eager to join and she was about to ship out over here when her… unfortunate accident occurred. We're just lucky that she was a twin and we didn't waste any money on a genetic body." Lorena opened her mouth to say something nasty to the woman who just insulted her sister's memory when Jane turned away and opened the door.

Lorena's words died in her throat as she looked at the large circular room in front of her. At the center of the room was a central hub station full of monitors and people running here and there. Around it, lining the walls, were tanning bed like structures; some of them were occupied because the monitors nest to them showed their faces while others just lay open, waiting. Jane walked in and Lorena quickly followed her to one of the closest empty beds. Jane stopped at it and turned to face Lorena again. "You ready to live again?" she asked, nodding her head to the machine. Lorena visibly hesitated as she thought about what she was about to do.

"Hey, don't worry," someone said behind her. She turned to see Jake entering the room and he looked into her blue eyes trying to offer comfort. "It's harmless." To prove his point, he went by the next open bed near her and laid down in it. "I'll see ya in a bit," he said with a smirk as technicians gathered around him and closed the lid.

Lorena watched the bed for a minute before following Jake's lead. She laid down on the bed, pushing her black hair out of the way to rest her head comfortably on the offered headrest. Lorena found her heart rate increasing from fear and excitement; her breathing became shallow and she gulped to wet her now dry throat.

Jane came to stand over her. "You got anything metal on you?" she asked. Lorena nodded. "You have to take it off then; the metal could interfere with the connection." Lorena did as she was told, rather reluctantly though, and handed her dog tags to Jane. Jane cast a glance at them and her cold eyes softened slightly.

She then placed the dog tags on a table nest to the machine, saying, "They'll be here when you wake up. You ready?" Lorena gave a little nod but couldn't manage anything past that. "Just relax, ok?" Jane said. "Just imagine your going to sleep and wake up in a whole new world." She then closed the top and Lorena was immediately surrounded UV lights all around her.

"Alright Lorena," Jane said through the metal. "I'm going to say 'Go' and the transfer will start. After that you'll be in your new body…." Lorena waited a bit before she heard Jane's voice again.

"Okay here we go. Three…Two…One…GO…!"

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**Just a reminder: R AND R!**


	3. Chapter 3

**So I know this is short, but bear with me for this is leading up to the good stuff.**

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_Transmission setting up…._

_Systems Green…._

_Diary Entry 002:…._

_Date: January 18, 2137…._

_Subject recorded…. Lorena Lazerman…._

_Begin…._

Finally! Some peace alone! I swear it is a mad house in this place some days; what the hell was I thinking about joining this… association…..

Sorry, I'm get ahead of myself; have a tendency to do that when I'm upset. Anyway, bet you want to know what has happened these past few days? Well since I am alone now I guess I can tell you….

A few days ago, when I first arrived here, I wasn't sure what to expect. I didn't understand anything about this program; now I know it all to well….

The program is meant to study the local life on this planet.

We do this by one simply way; becoming one of them. And I don't mean going out and saying "Hi, how are you? I would like to live with you a couple of years to understand your culture." No, the select few literally BECOME the inhabitants.

Imagine my shock when I laid down in a tanning bed like thing and woke up in a COMPLETELY different body. I had become a creature that I had seen before, a ugly fucker with a strong body and crab-like face….

Needless to say, I freaked out….

As well as everyone else. No one really expected for me to sit up straight and try to run. Luckily, Jake was there and restrained me before I did something stupid. No one else did, which after the episode I thought was weird but then the next day I understood.

But back to the point, after I had calmed down, Jake laid me back down on the table and as soon as closed my eyes, I felt a sudden jerk in my mind and I woke back up in my old body… which is a very bad thing because of my state of mind at the time….

….You see… when I panic, that's when the REAL pain begins; the pain from my disease I mean. It starts in the center of my chest, tightening it to an unbearable pressure and I began to claw at my skin trying to make it stop only to make it worse cause then I freeze in that position as the pain rapidly spreads outward. It's hard for me to breath, even to scream which I want to do, and most of the time I start crying.

I freaked a lot of people out that day, when they opened my lid and saw me. I was immediately sent to the medical faculty on base and spent most of the night there as my body went back to normal.

We tried again the next day, and this time I didn't freak out or try to run. I had become used to the idea so when I woke up in the white hospital-like room, it wasn't so bad. It was also then I realized something; I wasn't feeling any pain.

I was overjoyed with the news as the doctors dressed me in clothing that would have NEVER fit my old body. They then let me outside, and for once, I took a deep breath without having to worry if I was going to have another attack.

It was also when I met Dr. Manadlio, in her 'other' body. She seemed well at ease as she showed me around the base and explained to me what the Company's mission was.

Apparently, many years ago, the Company had found this planet and its natural resources and had tried to colonize it. Instantly, people began to disappear and later would be found dead, with various body parts missing. The Company, in an attempt to stop this unseen threat, had called in the military. The killings didn't stop though but thanks to video surveillance on the soldier's helmets, they were able to put a face to the enemy.

Once both the military and the Company had figured out what they were dealing with, they changed their tactics, and asked Dr. Manadlio to join. It took many years for everything to come together and through that time, they have been studying what little they could on the planet's inhabitants.

Dr. Manadlio said that they were stronger, faster, and more advanced then us humans. They seemed very intelligent too, for they hunted in a cold, calculating way. She also explained why no one but Jake helped me when I first entered my new body; they had genetically altered my new body to match the inhabitants of this planet so the doctors were scared that in my panicked state, I would kill them.

Dr. Manadlio also said that they seemed to value hunting above everything, seemed to be how everything was based on their society. They also seemed to have a code of ethics based on what survivors had said. She said these were only theories though, so nothing was concrete. It was our job to make it concrete.

The past few days have been a whirlwind of strange ideas and new things. I am beginning to learn the people's language, the little we have that is; trying to figure out how to use my mandibles to express emotions. I've also been training myself for when I can go outside of the camp; running, lifting weights, those sorts of things.

It's paid off though, Dr. Manadlio says she was impressed with my progress and tomorrow I'll be joining them for a little trip into the woods to explore the local flora. I'm very worried though because we aren't bringing guns or any sort of protection with us; Dr. Manadlio assured me though it was because the inhabitants didn't seem to attack if you were weaponless.

Hopefully things go well….

Anyway, that is it for tonight.

…_ending video recording…_

_System shutting off…._

_Good-bye…._

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**DON'T FORGET TO R AND R PLEASE!**


	4. Chapter 4

**OAO Soooo sleepy... But here is the next chapter. Enjoy! :)**

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Chapter 4

Lorena stared out the open door of the helicopter, her eyesight taking in the vividness of everything around her. She was in her new body again and in this one the eyesight was more enhanced than humans, bringing out the sharpness in the trees or being able to see the differences in color in the shrubs. This was how the scientist thought the inhabitants of the planet were able to see things, to be able to hunt. Being able to see more clearly you could hunt more easily especially in the dark when you could see the differences in the shadows. This was, again, only an assumption, nothing was concrete when it came to these native people.

"Hey Lorena!" someone barked causing her to turn her massive head to look at Dr. Manadlio. "Are you still with us?" she half yelled over the helicopters engines.

"Yeah!" Lorena yelled back.

"Good!" Dr. Manadlio then looked away from her to look at Jake who was sitting in front of both of them. The poor man looked like he was about to pass out and Lorena could only assume that it had been another late night for him.

"Hey!" Dr. Manadlio yelled, kicking Jake in the leg causing him to wake a bit more. "No falling asleep! You know what happens if you do!" Lorena could feel her lower mandibles shift downward in what could have been a human equivalent of a frown. It had been the one thing Dr. Manadlio had "neglected" to tell Lorena when she first stepped into this new body and one that Lorena had to learn the hard way about. As a fail safe, no matter where you were, if you ever fell asleep in your alien body, you would automatically return to your human body. It was only after Lorena had taken a nap one day and, upon awaking, was in her old body again did Lorena inquire about this and Dr. Manadlio reluctantly told her.

To say the least, Lorena was unhappy when she learned the truth. She didn't complain though, she was happy for just an hour without pain.

Silently, she studied her partners as they bantered on with each other. Jake's body, when standing, was the tallest out of the three of them and had dark grey, almost black, skin color. It contrasted greatly against his bright yellow eyes and Lorena figured he wanted it that way since he constantly goofed off when working. And what could be scarier than having a hulking 8-foot tall mass with bright eyes, pop out of no where in the middle of a dark corridor? Lorena should know; he did it to her once and she nearly throttled him for it.

Dr. Manadlio's form was a reddish-brown skin with yellow stripes running under her arms and, if you took off her shirt, a big yellow spot covering most of her torso. She stood about 6'8'' in her form, towering over all the females who were involved with the project, which Lorena had learned was quite an impressive handful. Dr. Manadlio's dreadlocks were like everyone else's but today were in what could have been considered a "messy bun".

As for herself, Lorena's color was a dull yellow with black spots running from her shoulder to the back of her hand. The bottom half of her legs, running from the tops of her calves to her feet, were solid black. And like the doctor's eyes, her own was a muted yellow that had a tinge of red to them. When standing she stood about 6'5'' like most other females. Dr. Manadlio's had explained that each person chosen for this project got to decide on how they wanted their body to look like. It surprised Lorena since she figured her sister wanted a tie-dye body but was thankful for the muted palate.

"Dr. Manadlio!" someone shouted through the speakers causing Lorena to snap out of her comparison.

"Yeah!" Lorena heard the doctor yell back.

"We've reached out destination!"

"Alright!" The doctor didn't bother to add a 'Thank you' as the helicopter slowly descended.

Once they landed, the trio immediately jumped out. With their impressive bulks, it would have been a tight squeeze to fit, so it was decided to leave the doors open. It made Lorena nervous since they couldn't have any weapons and if they were attacked they would be wide open. She tried to not show it but the twitching of her mandibles gave her away most of the time.

That didn't matter right now and instead of focusing on 'what ifs' Lorena focused her attention of the present. She scanned the area and was satisfied that nothing seemed out of the ordinary. That didn't stop her worrying though as they moved farther away from the helicopter; after all she had been in the military once, albeit for a short time, and if there was one thing they had stuck with her all these years was be prepared for anything.

The trio stuck close together as they made their way into the woods, which was more actually like a swamp.

"Jesus, I would love to know how they walk on this ground," Jake said. "It's like walking on a sponge or something." Lorena concurred, it felt rather weird with the bouncy of the ground on her bare feet, since these bodies' big feet and sharp talon-like toenails made it impossible to wear human shoes and you had to be careful because sometimes you would end up walking into a marsh.

"They probably take the trees," Dr. Manadlio replied pointing up. Jake and Lorena looked up at the same time to see the thick, very high, branches.

"Why don't we take those?" Jake inquired in a humorous tone. Dr. Manadlio stopped, causing the other two as well, next to a tree that dwarfed her in size. She looked up then over at Jake with one eye ridge cocked.

"I'd like to see you try," she said in a half dead pan, half joking tone. "Knowing you, you'd fall on the first jump and kill yourself."

"Meh, probably," Jake agreed giving an equivalent to a smile. Lorena didn't say anything, just watched the interactions between her two companions with a mix of awe and amusement.

_'Who knew the doctor actually had a sense of humor,' _she thought as they continued on.

The terrain slowly became bushier and the ground more solid. Everyone was rather thankful for that, sense it meant there wasn't any chance to run into any marshes and end up getting stuck. Still, the land looked very bland though with a mixture of browns and greens.

Finally, they stopped in front of a tree that had more foliage around the base than those surrounding it. "Here it is," Dr. Manadlio said, crouching down next to the shrubs and start pushing them aside. Jake joined her and Lorena came up behind them, watching the duo with interest. When the rustling of the leaves had stopped, Lorena peered over their shoulders surprised to see tiny bright pink flowers inside the shrubs.

"Amazing, isn't it?" Dr. Manadlio said, noticing her astonished look. "Theoretically, they shouldn't even be alive since there is too much methane gas for flowers to grow. Yet somehow they survive." She held a hand to Jake. "I need a dish."

Jake immediately shrugged off the backpack he was carrying and dug around inside of it before pulling out a small round glass container. He handed it to the doctor before digging back inside the bad and pulling out a set of long tweezers.

"Lorena," Dr. Manadlio said, gaining Lorena's attention. "Come here and keep the shrub open." Lorena nodded and, forgetting about caution, crouched down on the other side of the doctor.

Holding the branches aside, she watched as the doctor used the tweezers to collect four flowers before sealing the container off. "That should do it," the doctor said, standing up. Lorena let go of the branches, letting them close themselves and also stood, waiting until the doctor had put the new specimen in Jake's bag, which was by then already on his back again.

"Let's head back now," the doctor finished. Lorena was slightly disappointed at the short trip but didn't say anything and merely nodded. The military didn't exactly like having the scientist so far out in enemy territory so it was imperative that they made it back as soon as possible.

As Lorena was about to take a step, her enhanced hearing suddenly heard a twig snap. Everyone froze looking between each other in silent panic. The sound was so close that even a regular person could have heard it.

"You think it's them?" Jake asked quietly, as if speaking out loud would break some kind of spell.

"If it is then they made a careless mistake," Dr. Manadlio said, equally as quiet, looking around. Lorena also looked around until her eyes stopped on a certain shrub not far from them. It had a small opening where a patch of black was, it looked too black though for it just to be a spot covered from the sun. Then it moved slightly and Lorena stiffened.

She felt something grab her wrist and looked out of the corner of her eye to see it was Dr. Manadlio's. She looked up at the doctor's face to see it also looking at the exact same spot Lorena was. "On my mark, you run back to the helicopter, got that?" the doctor hissed urgently. Lorena nodded, now understanding that it wasn't a native but another predator of this planet.

The doctor let go of her and Lorena readied herself to run.

"Ready…." A low growl was heard and was immediately answered by others from all around them.

_'Shit, there's a pack of them,' _Lorena thought with a new sense of urgency to escape.

"Set…." Another twig snapped somewhere and Lorena could feel her leg muscles tensing, ready for the next command.

"…RUN!"

Instantly, the trio shot off back to the way they came, not daring to look back as they heard the roars and crashing sounds behind them.

The trees flew by Lorena as she brought up the rear of the three. There was no time to think as the flight instinct took over as she heard whatever it was chase after them. Suddenly, she heard something coming from next to her and she had just enough time to propel herself forward and roll as it pounced out from out of the dense woods.

Years of military training flew out the window as she made a fatal mistake and stopped to look what was chasing after them as she stood back up. Her heart stopped as huge cat like creature turned to face her. It was completely black with a row of very sharp teeth, gleaming in its maul. She would have taken it for any other large cat, had it not been for the second pair of yellow eyes it had. One set in front of its head, the other set on the side.

Noticing that its prey was not moving it roared, snapping Lorena out of her stupor. Immediately she turned to follow the others only to stop short as another on othe creature's friends blocked her path.

_'Fuck!' _she thought. She was going to mentally berate herself when she heard the creature behind her jump at her. Doing the only thing she could do, she jumped to the side and began running away from the bath, farther into the woods.

_'Gotta lose 'em! Gotta lose 'em!' _was the mantra going through her head as she scrambled over broken branches and foliage. With each step she heard the crashing sounds of the creature behind her drawing closer and closer. _'Jesus, help me!'_

Just then, in a weird way, someone above seemed to answer her prayers because she felt her right toe catch on something. She stumbled on it before picking up her pace again. Just as she did though, she heard a snapping noise from above. She dared a peek to see a heavy log with sharp, wooden spikes suddenly drop from the trees and began swinging down towards her.

_'Shit!' _she thought as she dived to the ground, barely missing the surprise trap as she felt it breeze over her. The creature chasing her didn't seem to be as lucky for she heard a sickening crunching noise followed by an anguished roar. She didn't stick around to see though as she immediately got up and started running again.

_'A trap! Who the heck has a trap out in the middle of the woods!' _she thought, vaguely hearing more crashing noises farther behind her and picking up her pace. She didn't give it anymore though as she saw a wall of vines with bright lights seeping through the cracks in it.

_'A clearing!' _Happily she reached a hand out to the vines and pushed them aside….

Unwittingly almost falling off a cliff.

If she were in her human body, no doubt she would have fallen off. As it was, she was in her alien body and, with her enhanced reflexes, was able to stop before doing so.

"Holy crap!" she said out loud as she peered down the 100 foot drop. At the bottom was an unkindly looking river that raged and churned, waiting for some poor thing just to fall in its depths. Lorena looked across to see where the land continued, unfortunately the gap to great to jump.

"Why does this crap always happen to me?" she muttered, where mandibles twitching in agitation. She was about to turn around and back track when she heard the all too familiar sound of undergrowth snapping. She growled and hissed at herself as she desperately thought of her options of escaping.

Once she saw that there were very few and most likely to get her killed she looked back at the ravine and did the only thing she felt she could do without killing herself.

She jumped.

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**Read and Review please! :)**


	5. Announcement

**Dear Readers,**

**I have an announcement pertaining to all of my stories. As most of you have seen I have not updated any stories in quite a while this is unfortunately due to the fact that, like most writers, I have been stuck in a writing rut. Now don't get this confused with 'writer's block'- that is not what I am going through; I know what direction I want my stories to go but when I actually sit down to write it my brain just completely shuts down. I have tried to write stuff but it becomes more and more difficult each time I try with all my stories- new and current ones. This has been going on since the middle of summer that is still going on currently- going on even longer for my Soul Eater stories. I don't know when it will end but the updates will come when it is over.**

**Thank you for understanding,**

**Malakia**


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